Motion Planning Intern Job at Zoox in Foster City
Zoox, Foster City, CA, United States
Zoox’s internship program provides hands‑on experiences with state‑of‑the‑art technology, mentorship from some of the industry's brightest minds, and the opportunity to play a part in our success. Internships at Zoox are reserved for those who demonstrate outstanding academic performance, activities outside their coursework, aptitude, curiosity, and a passion for Zoox's mission.
As a Motion Planning Intern, you may be matched with one of the following teams:
Collision Avoidance Systems Team You will build and optimize core autonomy software including planning algorithms, collision avoidance systems, trajectory generation and validation, or real‑time decision‑making systems. Implement efficient data structures for tree search, develop cost evaluation functions, or work on CAS components like trajectory validators, collision checkers, and safety perception systems. Write high‑performance C++ code that runs on our vehicles.
Fail Operational Planner Team You will explore ways for Planner to continue operating effectively, even in the presence of degraded capabilities or limited failures. The focus of the team includes developing behavioral and motion planning capabilities in degraded state to improve trip progress metrics, and correspondingly a better customer experience. In this role, you will develop algorithms to implement new behaviors or improve upon the performance of existing ones for specific failure modes while collaborating with a diverse group of experts including Planner, Perception, Prediction, and Hardware.
Framework & Search Team You will explore ways to improve our planner’s strategic decision‑making capabilities. We model long horizon concerns so that our planner can make informed decisions such as when best to lane change when following a route. In this role you will develop algorithms to improve the fidelity of our long horizon motion planning models. This will involve collaborating with other teams, simulation‑based and real‑world validation, and creating new introspection tools.
Requirements Currently working towards a B.S., M.S., Ph.D., or advanced degree in a relevant engineering program
Must be returning to school to continue your education upon completing this internship
Good academic standing
Able to commit to a 12‑week internship beginning in May or June of 2026
At least one previous industry internship, co‑op, or project completed in a relevant area
Ability to relocate to the Bay Area, California for the duration of the internship
Interns at Zoox may not use any proprietary information they are working on as part of their thesis, any published work with their university, or to be distributed to anyone outside of Zoox
Qualifications (It’s helpful if you meet a majority of the following qualifications, but it isn’t a requirement) Strong knowledge/or experience with C++
Experience with robotics, motion planning, or control systems
Knowledge of optimization algorithms and numerical methods
Familiarity with real‑time systems and performance optimization
Understanding of autonomous driving concepts (POMDP, tree search, trajectory optimization)
Experience with ROS, Bazel, or similar robotics frameworks
Coursework or projects in robotics, planning, or autonomous systems
Knowledge of safety‑critical software development
Compensation The monthly salary range for this position is $5,500 to $9,500. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level of education. Additional benefits may include medical insurance, and a housing stipend (relocation assistance will be offered based on eligibility).
Accommodations If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to accommodations@zoox.com or your assigned recruiter.
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As a Motion Planning Intern, you may be matched with one of the following teams:
Collision Avoidance Systems Team You will build and optimize core autonomy software including planning algorithms, collision avoidance systems, trajectory generation and validation, or real‑time decision‑making systems. Implement efficient data structures for tree search, develop cost evaluation functions, or work on CAS components like trajectory validators, collision checkers, and safety perception systems. Write high‑performance C++ code that runs on our vehicles.
Fail Operational Planner Team You will explore ways for Planner to continue operating effectively, even in the presence of degraded capabilities or limited failures. The focus of the team includes developing behavioral and motion planning capabilities in degraded state to improve trip progress metrics, and correspondingly a better customer experience. In this role, you will develop algorithms to implement new behaviors or improve upon the performance of existing ones for specific failure modes while collaborating with a diverse group of experts including Planner, Perception, Prediction, and Hardware.
Framework & Search Team You will explore ways to improve our planner’s strategic decision‑making capabilities. We model long horizon concerns so that our planner can make informed decisions such as when best to lane change when following a route. In this role you will develop algorithms to improve the fidelity of our long horizon motion planning models. This will involve collaborating with other teams, simulation‑based and real‑world validation, and creating new introspection tools.
Requirements Currently working towards a B.S., M.S., Ph.D., or advanced degree in a relevant engineering program
Must be returning to school to continue your education upon completing this internship
Good academic standing
Able to commit to a 12‑week internship beginning in May or June of 2026
At least one previous industry internship, co‑op, or project completed in a relevant area
Ability to relocate to the Bay Area, California for the duration of the internship
Interns at Zoox may not use any proprietary information they are working on as part of their thesis, any published work with their university, or to be distributed to anyone outside of Zoox
Qualifications (It’s helpful if you meet a majority of the following qualifications, but it isn’t a requirement) Strong knowledge/or experience with C++
Experience with robotics, motion planning, or control systems
Knowledge of optimization algorithms and numerical methods
Familiarity with real‑time systems and performance optimization
Understanding of autonomous driving concepts (POMDP, tree search, trajectory optimization)
Experience with ROS, Bazel, or similar robotics frameworks
Coursework or projects in robotics, planning, or autonomous systems
Knowledge of safety‑critical software development
Compensation The monthly salary range for this position is $5,500 to $9,500. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level of education. Additional benefits may include medical insurance, and a housing stipend (relocation assistance will be offered based on eligibility).
Accommodations If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to accommodations@zoox.com or your assigned recruiter.
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